Euroscepticism Uncovered
Analysis
BBC
4.6 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 17 October 2011
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As opinion polls reveal that half the British population would vote in favour of withdrawal from the European Union, it seems the political class is catching up with public opinion when it comes to the EU.
While perhaps just dozens of MPs are publicly calling for a referendum on the UK's EU membership, behind closed doors there are many more closet secessionists: at least 40 per cent of Conservative MPs according to one party insider.
"In public I call for renegotiation of the Lisbon treaty. In private I argue for complete withdrawal from the European Union. And there are plenty of others like me," says one anonymous sceptic.
Edward Stourton asks whether the crisis in the eurozone has emboldened more politicians to speak frankly on their attitudes towards EU membership and talks to supporters of withdrawal from both the left and right wings of British politics.
Producer: Hannah Barnes.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
| 0:04.7 | My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:08.5 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. |
| 0:18.0 | What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars, |
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| 0:29.7 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds. |
| 0:36.0 | Thank you for downloading this podcast from the BBC. |
| 0:40.0 | This week in Analysis, Euroscepticism uncovered, Edward Stirton asks whether the political |
| 0:46.1 | class is catching up with the British public when it comes to attitudes on Europe. |
| 0:52.3 | For a long time, Euro-scepticism has had a bad name and it was seen as if it was the man on a bus |
| 0:58.0 | with a sort of plastic bag shouting about Europe. |
| 1:01.0 | I think that EU withdrawal is the love that dare not speak its name and |
| 1:06.8 | I would say that many many Tories would probably be happy if we move towards a |
| 1:11.2 | referendum on withdrawal in some way or another. |
| 1:14.0 | The Conservative MP who holds that view would any talk to us on condition that we concealed |
| 1:18.5 | his identity. |
| 1:19.9 | The voice you've just heard is that of an actor. It's the sort of technique we would use for an interview with The |
| 1:23.4 | you've just heard is that of an actor. It's the sort of technique we would use for an interview with say a |
| 1:25.6 | dissident in a police state and it's a mark of how sensitive this issue is. |
| 1:29.9 | The EU has gone far too far in disrupting our economic life and I feel that we're inexorably moving down one direction and it seems to be impossible to change it without fundamental reform. I think that you need to prepare the climate, |
| 1:46.0 | you need to sound reasonable, you need to ensure that people don't see you just bashing foreigners |
| 1:51.3 | because all that sort of thing is disastrous. |
... |
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